CO2-Based Demand-Controlled Ventilation (DCV) calculates the hourly
CO2 level in each space and then determines the required outdoor air
quantity. The hourly CO2 value is a function of the space volume, the
number of people, the ventilation airflow into the space, and the CO2
level of the previous hour. The amount of CO2 generated by breathing
varies with the people activity level, which is a direct function of
the People Sensible+Latent values entered. TRACE calculates the CO2
generated per person and uses the weather location to determine
ambient CO2 levels. The default ambient CO2 level for all weather
locations is set at 400 ppm and can be changed through the weather
overrides button options under the "Select Weather
Information" section of the program. The hourly space CO2 level
calculation ignores any effect due to infiltration.

How to Model CO2 Sensors in TRACE 700

CO2 sensors can be modeled in TRACE by following these
steps:

Step 1: On the Rooms tab of Create Rooms (or on
the thermostat template), select a CO2 Sensor location (either Room or
None) for the rooms that will have demand-control ventilation
control.

Step 2: On the Airflows tab of Create Rooms,
select Yes in the Apply ASHRAE Std 62.1-2004/2007 field
and enter the appropriate information to properly describe space level
ventilation requirements.

Note: System-level ventilation reset
is required for the system to be able to handle zone-level
demand-control ventilation.

Step 4: At the bottom of the screen, select the desired
C02-based DCV option (None, Proportional
Control, or Single Setpoint).

When
Proportional Control is selected, the outdoor air controller
will adjust the outdoor air intake flow proportionally between the
minimum ventilation flow and the design ventilation flow.

When Single Setpoint is selected, the intake airflow is
adjusted to maintain the indoor CO2 concentration at the minimum CO2
concentration in the space for any population. If the OA damper
reaches the minimum outdoor air intake flow and the population in the
zone continues to drop, the OA damper remains at the minimum outdoor
air intake flow as specified in the DCV Minimum OA Intake field
on the Create Rooms – Airflows screen.

The CO2 DCV
controls have no effect on the Design calculations. During the System
Simulation, the CO2 DCV controls are disabled during economizer
operation.

Additional Resources

For additional information on DCV, refer to the following resources:

For a detailed explanation of what DCV is, and/or how to model
it in TRACE 700, click here.

In the continued effort to provide our customers with the latest
HVAC design functionality, the next update for TRACE™ 700 will feature
a single-zone VAV system type. Single-zone VAV is a prescriptive
requirement of ASHRAE 90.1-2010 6.4.3.10, and 90.1-2010 will be a
prerequisite to achieve LEED 2012 certification. Effective January 1,
2012, both ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and California Code Title 24-2008
extend the requirement for the inclusion of VAV to single-zone DX
units ≥ 110,000 Btu/h. The TRACE update will be available in the first
quarter of 2012.

To receive e-mail notifications about
TRACE updates, subscribe on the C.D.S.
News page. Updates are made available from the Download Center.

TRACE has several design reports that provide detailed information
about the cooling/heating loads, airflow capacities, ASHRAE Standard
62.1 calculations and much more. To help you determine which report
contains the information you need, we've created a quick reference
guide that describes each design report.

On-demand courses are available on the Trane.com Continuing
Education offering, including courses that qualify for 1.5
LEED-specific continuing education (CE) hours from the U.S. Green
Building Council (USGBC). As part of USGBC’s credential maintenance
program, LEED APs are required to earn 30 CE hours biennially, 6 of
which must be LEED-specific. View the course offerings at www.trane.com/continuingeducation.

Course Spotlight: High-Performance
VAV Systems This course will discuss design and control strategies that can
significantly reduce energy use and ensure proper ventilation in VAV
systems. Topics include ventilation system design and control,
optimized VAV system controls, cold air distribution, and other
energy‐saving strategies. [Runtime 75 minutes]

Frequently Asked Question

What is the difference between block load vs. sum of the peaks?

Block sizing methodology is commonly used for VAV systems. It
considers the design load profiles for individual spaces that make up
the zone or system and finds the collective maximum load that will
occur at any time. TRACE will then determine fan and/or coil sizes
based on this maximum simultaneous load.

Sum-of-Peaks sizing methodology determines the fan and/or coil
sizes based on the sum of the individual spaces’ maximum loads that
make up the zone or system. This methodology is most commonly used for
constant-volume systems.